MCU Star Challenges Thunderbolts Skeptics: 'Prepare to Eat Your Words'

Wyatt Russell, known for his role as U.S. Agent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is determined to silence the skeptics of the upcoming Thunderbolts movie. In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Russell expressed the collective ambition of the Thunderbolts cast to defy any negative expectations and transform the film into a remarkable success. Drawing from his ice hockey background, Russell emphasized his readiness to prove doubters wrong, stating, "We came to this as a group of people who were like, 'Let's make this our own thing, let's make it great and let's make people put their foot in their mouths.'"

He further elaborated on his personal drive, saying, "I have a little bit of an athletic background, so I was like, 'Yeah, I want to make you eat your words if you're like, this movie's going to blow, I don't want to go see it.'"

Russell highlighted the unique challenge posed by Thunderbolts, noting that unlike other Marvel movies, it does not rely on characters with established origin stories. "Thunderbolts presented a challenge because it is not a 'primed movie,'" he explained. "By that, I meant that its superheroes—or anti-heroes in this case—do not have their own origin movies that lead into Thunderbolts, as the hugely successful Avengers benefited from."

The film boasts a diverse cast, including Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman as Bob/Sentry/Void, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, and Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent. Russell emphasized the unique nature of the characters, stating, "There are no characters in this film, really, that have their own stuff in the Marvel universe that much. It's not Captain America, it's not Thor, it's not Iron Man, it's not the Avengers. [Thunderbolts] is more of these misfit types."

He praised the vision of Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and the challenge presented to director Jake Schreier and the cast, saying, "And that challenge that Kevin Feige gave Jake [Schreier] and this particular group of actors, it was like, 'Hell yeah.'"

Russell also touched on the diverse career paths of his co-stars, noting that many of them did not rise to fame solely through Marvel. "I don’t want to speak for everybody, but most of us didn’t make it by doing this," he said. "Everybody didn’t come to this as a young person and make it this way. I did weird TV shows for a million years, and David [Harbour] has been acting on Broadway [since 2000]. Sebastian had a whole career before he joined Marvel, and while he’s been a part of it for so long, he’s also done so many incredible things outside of Marvel. It has not defined him. Florence, same thing."

The Thunderbolts: The Tumultuous History of Marvel's Twisted Super-Team

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Earlier this month, Sebastian Stan shared insights into his career struggles before securing his pivotal role as the Winter Soldier in the MCU. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Stan revealed that a $65,000 residuals payment from his role in the 2010 film Hot Tub Time Machine was crucial to his survival before he joined the Marvel franchise. "I was actually struggling with work," Stan admitted. "I had just gotten off the phone with my business manager, who told me I was saved by $65,000 that came in residuals from Hot Tub Time Machine."

Stan's journey in the MCU has been extensive, reprising his role as Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), various Avengers films, and most recently in Captain America: Brave New World. He is set to return as the Winter Soldier in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie. Additionally, Stan's involvement in Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday suggests that fans can anticipate seeing Bucky and other Thunderbolts members, including John Walker, in future MCU projects.